Special Education

Program Faculty

Meet Our Esteemed Faculty: At the heart of the University of Florida’s commitment to educational excellence lies our distinguished faculty. Comprising visionary educators, researchers, and practitioners, our faculty bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion to our community. With accolades in groundbreaking research, excellence in teaching, and dedication to impactful service, they not only shape the future of their fields but also mentor the next generation of leaders. Explore the profiles of our faculty members to discover the minds driving innovation and inclusion in education at UF.

Faculty

Mary Brownell, Ph.D.

Professor

Dr. Brownell's Profile

Matthew Burns, Ph.D.

Fien Professor

Dr. Burns' Profile

Nelson Brunsting, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Dr. Brunsting's Profile

Katy Chapman, Ph.D.

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Chapman's Profile

Kristi Cheyney-Collante, Ph.D.

Clinical Associate Professor

Dr. Cheyney-Collante's Profile

Maureen Conroy, Ph.D.

Professor

Dr. Conroy's Profile

Valentina Contesse, Ph.D.

Clinical Assistant Professor

Kyena Cornelius, Ed.D.

Clinical Associate Professor

Dr. Cornelius' Profile

Alice Kaye Emery, Ph.D.

Assistant Scholar

Dr. Emery's Profile

Vivian Gonsalves, Ph.D.

Clinical Associate Professor

Dr. Gonsalves' Profile

Cynthia Griffin, Ph.D.

Professor

Dr. Griffin's Profile

Alisa Hanson, Ed.D.

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Hanson's Profile

Dwight Irvin, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Dr. Irvin's Profile

Margaret Kamman, Ph.D.

Assistant Scholar

Dr. Kamman's Profile

Holly Lane, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Dr. Lane's Profile

Melinda Leko, Ph.D.

Professor

Dr. Leko's Profile

Linda Lombardino, Ph.D.

Professor

Dr. Lombardino's Profile

Ashley MacSuga-Gage, Ph.D.

Clinical Associate Professor

Dr. MacSuga-Gage's Profile

Tara Mathien, Ph.D.

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Mathien's Profile

Hannah Morris Mathews, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Dr. Mathews's Profile

Erica McCray, Ph.D.

Associate Dean for Personnel Affairs & Community Engagement (PACE)

Dr. McCray's Profile

Stephen Smith, Ph.D.

Professor

Dr. Smith's Profile

Patricia Snyder, Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor, Affiliate Professor

Dr. Snyder's Profile

Emeritus Faculty

Penny Cox, Ph.D.

Clinical Professor Emeritus
pcox@coe.ufl.edu

Jean Crockett, Ph.D.

Professor Emerita
jcrockett@coe.ufl.edu

Ann Daunic, Ph.D.

Scholar Emerita
adaunic@coe.ufl.edu

Hazel Jones

Associate Professor
hajones@coe.ufl.edu

Mary McLean, Ph.D.

Professor
marymclean@coe.ufl.edu

James McLeskey, Ph.D.

Professor
mcleskey@ufl.edu

Mary Ann Nelson, Ph.D.

Senior Lecturer Emerita
nelsonma@coe.ufl.edu

Jeanne Repetto, Ph.D.

Associate Professor Emerita
jrepetto@coe.ufl.edu

Paul Sindelar, Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor
pts@coe.ufl.edu

Staff

Jacqueline Metts

Administrative Specialist III
jackie.metts@coe.ufl.edu
352-273-4279

Scott Davis

Academic Assistant II
scottdavis@coe.ufl.edu
352-273-4277

Kimberlie Gann

Administrative Support Assistant I
gannk@coe.ufl.edu
352-294-0779

Heather Dampier

Administrative Support Assistant II
hdampier@coe.ufl.edu
352-273-4245

Staff

Kimberlie Gann
Administrative Support Assistant I
gannk@coe.ufl.edu
(352) 294-0779

Heather Dampier
Academic Assistant II
hdampier@coe.ufl.edu
(352) 273-4245

Shaira Rivas-Otero
Administrative Support Assistant III
srivas@coe.ufl.edu
(352) 273-4277

Michell York
Administrative Specialist III
myork@coe.ufl.edu
(352) 273-4279

Doctoral Students

Our doctoral students represent a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Their contributions to the Department are many and their roles varied.

Listings of Doctoral Students Contact

Kelly Acosta, kacosta@ufl.edu
Brittany Batton, brittany.batton@ufl.edu
Talia Campese, taliacamp@ufl.edu
Valentina Contesse, valufgator@ufl.edu
Emily Crews, emily621@ufl.edu
Kaci Ellis, ellisk11@ufl.edu
Tiffany Fisher, tfisher623@ufl.edu
Alexis Freeman, ajfreeman@ufl.edu
Joey Garret, joeyj111@ufl.edu
Sara Germansky, s.germansky@ufl.edu
Amanda Haedo, ahaedo6@ufl.edu
Jennifer Harrington, jennyharringtonf@ufl.edu
Alexandria Harvey, anharvey@ufl.edu
Tracy Huang, tracy.huang@ufl.edu
Jennifer Jaramillo, jenjaramillo@ufl.edu
Rachel Kaplan, rachelkaplan@ufl.edu
Danielle Leushcen de Pico, leuschendepicod@ufl.edu
Yaqin Li, yaqinli@ufl.edu
Jinxiu Liu, ji.liu@ufl.edu
Reilly Lord, rlord@ufl.edu
Jia Ma, jia.ma@ufl.edu
Mackenzie Martin, mkmartin@ufl.edu
Skylar McCain, skylermccain@ufl.edu
D’Annette Mullen,dl.mullen@ufl.edu
Belinda Peters, bdmartin@ufl.edu
Angela Peterson, myangiev@ufl.edu
Candy Plasschaert, abc123@ufl.edu
Daisy Pua, puadt@ufl.edu
Siwei Qin, siwei.qin@ufl.edu
Kallen Shaw, krsshaw@ufl.edu
Hyojong Sohn, hsohn@ufl.edu
Bo Ram Song, songbo@ufl.edu
Jinwei Song, songjinwei@ufl.edu
Shujia Sun, sshujia@ufl.edu
Jessica Williams, jessicawilliams1@ufl.edu
Lauren Wong, laurennwong@ufl.edu
Christine Woods, christine8woods@ufl.edu
Megan Worth, mtiffany@ufl.edu
Fang Xu, fang.xu@ufl.edu
Qunshan Zheng, qunshanzheng@ufl.edu

The Early Childhood and Special Education Association of Doctoral Students (ECSEADS) is an organization in which doctoral students may participate. It is a vehicle through which doctoral students share professional, academic, and social experiences. ECSEADS members also network with doctoral students in other universities in Florida.